Converse 2020
EXPLORING THE INDUSTRIAL HISTORY OF MALDEN
PROGRAM SERIES
Go Local: Converse 2020 is a lecture and event series celebrating the life and philanthropic contributions of Malden’s first mayor Elisha Slade Converse and the industrial history of Malden.
Born in 1820, Elisha Slade and Mary Diana Edmands Converse were the largest benefactors of many of Malden’s most important institutions, including the Malden Public Library (Converse Memorial Building), Pine Banks Park, Fellsmere Pond and Park, the Malden YMCA, the First Baptist Church, the Malden Hospital, the Malden Home for the Aged Persons, the Malden Auditorium, Malden Associated Charities, Malden Industrial Aid Society and the Malden Day Nursery, and many other community organizations.
In 1853, Elisha founded the Boston Rubber Shoe Company, which was Malden’s largest employer and the world's largest producer of fine rubber boots, shoes, and overshoes. Malden residents were also employed at the Converse Rubber Shoe Company, founded in 1908 by Marquis Mills Converse (Elisha’s cousin), and home of the famous Chuck Taylor brand.
The program series will continue through Elisha Converse’s 200th Birthday on July 28, 2020.
This Go Local Grant Series is brought to you with federal funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners, with additional funds from Malden Public Library Roswell Robinson Lecture Fund.
JUNE 1 SATURDAY – 2:00 PM Hometown Hero: Elisha Slade Converse Birukti Tsige and Felix Li What do Malden’s library, hospital, parks, and industry all have in common? The Converse family! Birukti Tsige and Felix Li, Malden High School seniors, will present their award winning Hometown Hero documentary on Malden’s own Elisha S. Converse and discuss their research process. Following the presentation there will be a tour of the 1885 Converse Memorial Building.
JUNE 6 THURSDAY – 6:30 PM Malden Industry Before Rubber Shoes Linda Thorsen, Malden Historical Society We all know that the Boston Rubber Shoe Company was Malden’s big business in the second half of the nineteenth century. But Malden experienced industrial growth in the first part of the nineteenth century as well—and our most prominent business was textile dyeing! Learn about Malden’s dyers, nail makers, tinsmiths, and more.
JUNE 11 TUESDAY – 6:30 PM Irish Titan, Irish Toilers: Joseph Banigan and the Woonsocket Rubber Company Dr. Scott Molloy, Emeritus professor of Labor Relations at the University of Rhode Island. In 1847 Joseph Banigan, an Irish Potato Famine refugee, established himself in Rhode Island as an entrepreneur. This was a time when "No Irish Need Apply" signs abounded and discrimination against the immigrants hindered voting and human rights. Banigan became the president of the United States Rubber Company, one of the nation's major cartels, and New England's first Irish-Catholic millionaire.
* Unless noted, events are held at the Malden Public Library, 36 Salem Street, Malden, MA
JUNE 14 FRIDAY – 2:00 PM Introduction to the Local History Room and Collections Converse Memorial Building Lily Mysona, Local History Librarian, Malden Public Library Learn about our print and digital collections, including books, documents, maps, and photographs. Learn how to use the Library’s online history and genealogy resources: Ancestry.com, Heritage Quest, and historical newspapers. Come with questions! Hour introduction includes tour, hands-on practice, and Q&A. (Repeats on July 26)
JUNE 17 MONDAY – 6:30 PM Industrial Eden: The Legacy of Haywardville Ryan Hayward, Architectural Historian, Preservation Collaborative The Middlesex Fells Reservation is one of Metropolitan Boston's most beautiful and treasured parks. Its natural landscape is well known and celebrated but, did you know it once had a more industrial past as the birthplace of rubber and Converse shoes!
JULY 9 TUESDAY – 6:00 PM Converse Memorial Building Art Galleries The art collection at the Malden Library was begun through the generosity of the Elisha Slade Converse and his wife Mary. Not only did the Elisha and Mary Diana finance the library building, but upon their deaths left income used to build one of region’s most outstanding art collections. Registration required. Limited to 25.
JULY 25 THURSDAY – 11:00 AM Happy Birthday Mayor Converse! Location: Fellsmere Park, Savin Street, Malden Celebrate the 199th birthday of Elisha Converse with complimentary birthday cake and lemonade. Co-sponsored by City Councilor Debbie DeMaria. Fellsmere Park was established in 1893 with the efforts of Mayors Elisha Converse (1881-1893) and John Sleeper (1893-1903). JULY 26 FRIDAY – 2:00 PM Introduction to the Local History Room and Collections Converse Memorial Building Lily Mysona, Local History Librarian, Malden Public Library Learn about our print and digital collections, including books, documents, maps, and photographs. Learn how to use the Library’s online history and genealogy resources: Ancestry.com, Heritage Quest, and historical newspapers. Come with questions! Hour introduction includes tour, hands-on practice, and Q&A.
AUGUST 6 TUESDAY – 6:30 PM Harriet Robinson, Mill Girl Allison Horrocks, Park Ranger, Lowell National Parks Harriet Hanson Robinson went to work as a Lowell mill girl when she was 10 years old. She grew up to write the mill girls' magazine, The Lowell Offering, publish books and lead the women's rights movement. At 23 Harriet married William Stevens Robinson, a journalist and anti- slavery activist, and moved to Malden (35 Lincoln Street). Harriet was the first woman to speak before the Select Committee on Woman Suffrage in Congress.
AUGUST 24 SATURDAY – 12N to 3:00 PM From Farm to Factory – Visit with a Mill Girl Allison Horrocks, Park Ranger, Lowell National Historical Park Location: Pine Banks Park, 1087 Main St., Malden Join mill girl Harriet Hanson Robinson at the 5th Annual Fairy House Festival sponsored by City Councilor Barbara Murphy. In 1905 Elisha Converse donated a 107.5 acre estate now called Pine Banks Park. Learn about the daily life of a mill girl and enjoy story time with Library Director Dora St. Martin.
SEPTEMBER 7 SATURDAY – 2:00 PM Anna Fahey-Flynn, Boston Public Library Best Foot Forward: The Shoe Industry in Massachusetts Online Where can you learn more about the shoe industry? Join Anna Fahey-Flynn of the Boston Public Library for a talk on the history of the shoe industry and research resources available through the Digital Commonwealth. The Digital Commonwealth provides access to photographs, manuscripts, books, and other materials from libraries, museums, archives, and historical societies across Massachusetts.
SEPTEMBER 9 MONDAY – 6:30 PM Heart and Sole: The Lives of Malden Factory Workers Dee Morris, Author and Historian From 1853 into the 20th century, the Boston Rubber Shoe Company brought increasing prosperity to Malden. This community of employees ranged from highly-skilled boot makers to laborers. Shippers and teamsters maintained the flow while office personnel kept track of everything else. Siblings worked here as did women, newcomers from Ireland and a teenager named Alvin T. Fuller, who would later become Governor of Massachusetts. Join us for a tribute to their meaningful lives.
SEPTEMBER 16 MONDAY – 6:300 PM Malden’s Industry: An Exploration of Historic Maps Frank Russell, author of An Early History of Malden Mr. Russell will present a talk illustrating the industrial and business development of the Malden through historical maps. Follow the change of Malden from its agrarian roots to the city we know today.
SEPTEMBER 21 SATURDAY – 6:00 PM Friends of the Malden Public Library Fall Brewfest Explore the latest “Made in Malden” product – craft beer. This fundraiser to benefit the Friends of the Malden Public Library offers beer tasting with local breweries and cider houses. Live music. Think local craft beers, live music, and an opportunity to mingle with friends and neighbors at the beautiful Converse Memorial Building. Registration required. Ticket entry only. Stay tuned for special “sneaker” details!
OCTOBER 1 TUESDAY – 6:30 PM Pattens, Overshoes, Clogs & Galoshes: How Did New Englanders Keep Their Feet Dry Before Elisha Converse? Dr. Kimberly Alexander, University of New Hampshire Join Dr. Alexander for a discussion of her recently published Treasures Afoot: Shoe Stories from the Georgian Era. Dr. Kimberly Alexander has held curatorial positions at the MIT Museum, the Peabody Essex Museum and Strawbery Banke. Dr. Alexander was the Andrew Oliver Research Fellow at the Massachusetts Historical Society. Co-sponsored by the Malden Historical Society.
COMING THIS FALL – DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED
Walking the Fells: A Place Called Haywardville Ryan Hayward, Architectural Historian Location: 4 Woodland Road, Middlesex Fells Reservation Walk back in time and learn about the land-use history of this area beginning thousands of years ago with the First People, and ending with the “Industrial Eden” of the mill town Haywardville. Walk will involve navigating some steep and possibly wet terrain; please wear appropriate footwear and bring water.
Farm to Factory: Exploring the Immigrant Experience Grades 4-6 Students examine the experiences of many of the ethnic groups that worked in local mills using oral histories and artifacts.
The Converse Rubber Shoe Company Samuel Smallidge, Archive Manager, Converse In 1908, Marquis Mills Converse opened the Converse Rubber Shoe Company. It wasn’t until 1915 that the athletic shoes we've come to know and love came into production. In 1920, Converse renamed their canvas basketball shoes the “All-Star" and “Chuck Taylor” – and a legend was born.
Family Stories Through Art & Writing for Seniors Sharon Santillo, Family Stories Through Art.org Award-winning art and writing teacher, Sharon Santillo will help you save your family’s work stories of “making it in Malden.” No expertise is necessary, just bring the stories in your head.